Chandra X-ray Images of Sgr A* & SGR 1745-2900
Since its discovery two years ago when it gave off a burst of X-rays, astronomers have been actively monitoring the magnetar, dubbed SGR 1745-2900, with Chandra and XMM-Newton. The image on the left shows the region around the Milky Way's black hole in X-rays from Chandra (red, green, and blue are the low, medium, and high-energy X-rays respectively). The images on the right contain Chandra's close-up look at the area right around the black hole, showing a combined image obtained between 2005 and 2008 when the magnetar was not detected, and an observation in 2013 when it was caught as a bright point source during the X-ray outburst that led to its discovery. A new study uses long-term monitoring observations to reveal that the X-ray output from SGR 1745-2900 is dropping more slowly than for other magnetars, and its surface is hotter than expected.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/INAF/F.Coti Zelati et al)